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2nd Trimester
ok - I am going to ask
What is sooo terrible about having a c-section? We just found out today that I will be having one and we will schedule the date and time at my next appointment in 3 weeks. I read posts on here all the time about not wanting a c/s or people who have had them clarifying they didn't want them. What's the big deal? To be honest neither option sound like alot of fun to me.
This discussion has been closed.
Re: ok - I am going to ask
Bar tab = $156,000, Bus to Foxwoods = $0, Puking in the Stanley Cup = Priceless
recovering from abdominal surgery sucks ass. (and it is MAJOR surgery. Major surgery = potential for major complications)
Sure, you have 'recovery' from natural birth...but it doesn't mean 'don't lift anything heavier than the baby for 6 weeks'
one's a major surgery and one is "natural".
i think it's dumb to care one way or the other about why someone else wants to give birth a certain way, but i know for me it was important to go med free and do it as naturally as possible. i did not want the risks associated with a c/s and would have been very bummed if i had to have one.
at the end of the day it's your decision, but i think that's why some people care.
eta: damnit. i'm on the wrong board. oh well.
Its an invasive surgery.
Recovery time is longer
I want to avoid surgery anytime I can.
I understand that sometimes it is completely medically necessary and if need be, I of course would have one. From people I know who have had both types, they say to avoid having a c-section if you can. I don't understand women who opt for one if it isn't medically needed.
It is a major surgery. But dont let that scare you off. If your doctor recommends this method for you, then its right for your situation. Some woman really want to have a vaginal birth bc its the 'natural' way of things - personally, there is nothing that sounds pleasant about popping out a watermelon out of a golfball size hole.
but its in fate's hands... not mine.
I certainly did not opt for it. If I could plan it I would have woken in the middle of the night startled by sharp pains, my water would break on the toilet and my husband would take me to the hospital and a few hours and pushes later my baby girl would be in my arms! ha ha.
O.K. so I'm not missing anything, it's the recovery time and the invasive surgery. Not that that isn't enough, but DH and I decided that we should do what the dr. recommends.
Thanks ladies. I don't like to google things because of all the misinformation out there.
I will say, I had the equivilent of a c-section for my dermoids.
I had 6+ weeks off work.
I had 'plans' of what I could get done during that time...NONE of it got done. The recovery SUCKED> Nothing like saying "I can read at least 1 book" and getting out of bed, walking to the kitchen, managing to get food w/o lifting things, sitting down, eating breakfast...and having to sleep for 4 hours because it took THAT MUCH out of me.
I don't know what post-childbirt will be like--I've never done it. But the fact that it took until week 5 for me to spend more than 10 hours vertical and out of bed on any given day because I was so exhausted 24-7? Yeah, that's enough for me to say it shouldn't be done unnecessarily.
100% agree. I will not be having a c-section unless my doctor deems it absolutely necessary for my or my baby's health.
A lot of women feel that unless it is a medical necessity then the mother is being selfish by having an elective c/s. The idea is that your baby is going to come when he/she is ready to and you shouldn't screw with nature just because of convenience/ comfort exc.
I personally don't want one because I want everything to be as natural as possible and I don't want to have to recover from a major surgery. That being said I really don't care what other people are doing. It isn't my business or place to impart my feelings on other people especially when it comes to what they do with their body.
This is why I do not want a c-section. Even though I may end up with one. I'm hoping they will tell me I don't have to have one tomorrow.
GOOD LUCK!!!!!!
I ended up with a c/s with my last, and had no qualms about scheduling one this time. My c/s experience was a good one.
FWIW, my BFF had a vaginal birth with her 1st, and an emergency c/s with her second. She thinks the recovery from the c/s was easier. Obviously, that's not everyones expereince, but a c/s doesn't have to be horrible or the end of the world.
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It is surgery...but it's not always as horrible as people make it out to be. My sister was dead set on a natural birth, but after being induced at 42 weeks and almost 24 hours of labor (and staying at 4 cm that WHOLE time) ...her and the baby's life would have been at risk if it wasnt for the intervention of C section, sometimes the baby's head just doesnt fit, the doctor said it was like a round peg trying to fit through a square hole. She was really terrified of the C section and the recovery because she had watched "The Business of Being Born" and because of all the stigma surrounding C sections. She ended up having the C section and everything was fine. She went home a day and half later and will tell you it's not nearly as horrible as people make it out to be, in fact it wasnt horrible at all! She gave natural birth 100% but for some people it just doesnt work. My mom had two vaginal births and 3 c sections (not by choice) and she will also tell you that the c sections were much better. She had to have 100 stitches down there for one birth and the other vaginal birth almost took my sisters life.
honestly, modern medicine isnt evil..it saves many, many lives. We should be thankful for it if anything.
I'm a C/S mommy, and honestly I didn't mind the process at all. I had no other option as DS was transverse breech (anyone who wants to flame me for not trying an external version to "flip" ds, with transverse breech babies that is NOT possible or reccomended). I am now c-section only because of complications that arose when delivering DS, complications which would have killed both of us had I given birth "naturally".
Yes, it IS surgery. Yes, the recovery IS different than in a vaginal delivery. On the funny side, I was able to get up and walk arond more quickly after DS's birth than the woman in the room next door, who had labored for 40 HOURS with her DC... While this doesn't matter to me, I thought it was incredible that she was in so much more discomfort than I was and would be going home the next morning while I had 3 days to recover in the Mother/Baby suite I was in.
It was difficult to have 6 weeks that I was not allowed to drive, but even with a vaginal birth you usually have the same restriction. Otherwise, not lifting anything heavier than DS for the first 6 weeks was a BREEZE... I wasn't able to function on the lack of sleep and BFing DS anyway, and my house was pristine before I delivered so I didnt' have to keep up on anything other than laundry anyway. DH would put a basket in the laundry room before work, and I would load it into the washing machine when I had time during the day. It didn't restrict me much.
When you have a choice in the matter, yes, it does seem strange to opt for a surgical approach as opposed to a vaginal delivery, but I wouldn't change my experience for the world. It all depends on your position going into delivery, and what YOU want the outcome to be. If you want it to be a positive experience, there are many ways to make it one.
IMO, Yes it's major surgery but the point is to have a baby. You are not a better or worse mother for delivering either way.
I was induced due to pitting edema at 39 wks. Even if I wanted to have a vaginal birth, with all the swelling, it never would have happened. Aside from a complication I had in the operating room that is extramly rare, I didn't think it was that terrible. Yes, the recovery is longer and you have been cut open so you are sore. Once I was out of the hospital though (3 days later) I was feeling pretty good and was only mildly sore. Standing up right wasn't fun for the first few days but I survived.
It sounds like you don't have much choice in the matter. Make the best of it and by all means, take some gas-x strips to the hospital with you. Abdominal surgery fills your belly with air that migrates to your shoulders and can really really hurt.
This plus it takes longer to recover, more expensive, and there have been several studies on possible long term problems with baby.
This!!
Well a c/s is major surgery.
However, if you need one for medical reasons then that's what will happen. Honestly, the ladies I know that had a planned c/s seemed to have much easier recoveries than the ladies I know that had emergency c/s.
DD1 born 5/24/10.
Missed M/C at 14 wks Feb 2012.
DD2 born 5/14/13.
Missed M/C at 9 wks July 2015.
I am terrified of a C-Section. I have some friends that swear by them, but I am just afraid of being cut open. One of my friends who considered her C-Sections (she had 2) to be very successful has since had to have corrective surgery on her uterus due to scarring from the section.
I had a vaginal birth with DD. It was such an amazing experience having her put on my chest immediately following birth. Then I got to hold her as soon as she was wiped down and got to spend an hour with her before they took her to the nursery from blood tests, bath, etc. None of my friends who had a C-section got to experience that.
C-sections can carry more risk of harm to the mother and baby. I wouldn't opt for one if given the choice.
All this being said, if my doctor felt a C-section was in my or my baby's best interest, I would go right along with no hesitation. A healthy baby is all that is important in the end. Good luck. I hope I wasn't too negative about sections. I just wouldn't opt for one if given the choice.
Charlotte Ella 07.16.10
Emmeline Grace 03.27.13
Love it!! I am with you on that one! Just out of curiosity, how can your doctors already tell you will need a C/S?
I had to have a c section with my first because of placenta previa... I think this situation- where you know you will have a c section before it even happens- is a mixture of a blessing and a curse- on one hand you can prepare for it- and on the other hand you can stress about it and mourn even before it happens. I really took it hard when I got the news- but it was still a while before the importance of that c section was really apparent to me.
The recover was very hard for me, and I also had a vertical incision on the outside of my belly which healed with an awful scar. I don't think telling you the details of how hard the recovery was is productive because for me- without the c section- there would have been no recovery- so what's the point of comparing? If you have to have one- you have to have one... why beat yourself up over it.
If you were just choosing one, elective, like if you think you want to keep a "youthful" vagina that hasn't birthed a child... well- maybe you'd need a wake up call... but if you really need one- try to find some peace in it and prepare to deal with the cards you've been dealt.
I did go on to have 2 drug free VBACs since then which was a very nice empowering healing sort of thing for me-
Best wishes to you!
::butting in from 3-6::
Meh, it's not that bad. I had an emergency c-section and will DEF be having a scheduled c/s when #2 comes around. The recovery was sucky, yeah, but so is recovery for a vaginal birth. I got to use toilet paper right away, vaginal deliveries have to wait
(ok, that's a lame reason for picking a c/s, but you get my drift)
Same here, and even then, I'd be scared to death and I would NOT want to deal with the aftermath!....
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I was always allowed to lift DS and he was born 9 lbs 5 oz. The only restriction that had a damper to life was not being able to drive for 2 weeks after the c-section.
OP - the recovery really isn't that bad (especially if you're having a planed c-section). I didn't have a lot of pain, the worst part was getting out of bed at the hospital and I wouldn't call what I felt serious pain, more of like a burning sensation.
ETA: I was given the restriction that I couldn't lift more than 8 lbs for 2 weeks.
Aiden 10.17.07 Emma 07.15.10
And to piggie back off of this question, how soon do they let you know?
I had a C-Section with my daughter after 17 hours of labor and 3 hours of pushing (she was almost 9lbs). All I can say is that the recovery sucked! The only plus (in CA at least) is that I got an extra two weeks of disability pay. Some of the BIG issues:
There is so much more, but those are the things I still remember from almost 3 years ago!
But the bottom line is to have a healthy baby and safe delivery. If a C-Section is the only way - you will be fine! Just make sure you have plenty of help and do not over do it!
I had a c/s with my son, and the recovery was pretty easy. I obviously have no comparison to a vaginal birth, but I think, like everything w/ pregnancy, it's different for everyone. Some c/s are easy, some aren't. Some vaginal births are rough, some are really great. I have heard scheduled c/s are easier, so that's positive. I try to look at the bright side and the pluses of a c/s, personally - like that I won't have to worry about how we live 4-6 hours from family and who will watch Jack when I go into labor.
I'll be having a repeat c/s with this baby and I'm perfectly okay with that. I'm a bad candidate for a VBAC and even if I wasn't, I'd probably go w/ the c/s b/c it's what I know and have been through before.
FWIW, my son was with us the entire time after he was born, so I think that may vary by situation or hospital. I was also able to BF him immediately after the surgery was finished and we were back in our room.
I had a scheduled c-section because DD was breech. I had a fantastic experience. The surgery went smoothly, DD was healthy, I had a wonderful, quick recovery and am looking forward to having another scheduled c-section next time.
Yes, some people have horrible experiences and some, like myself, have a wonderful experience. The important thing is to deliver a healthy baby by any means necessary. Don't let having the thought of having a c-section ruin the rest of your pregnancy and your birth experience.